There are several ways to protect your property from theft. Even if a theft does occur, you can still impact other crimes, and possibly get your property returned to you by following a few simple steps:

Engraving Items: for identification, use your Oregon Driver's License number and engrave as follows:

OR123456DL

If you don't have a driver's license, obtain an Oregon ID card from the Department of Motor Vehicles and engrave your property as follows:

OR123456ID

Ideally, engrave your property in two locations: one obvious, and one hidden. Engrave on solid components, not those that are easily replaced.

Why bother? if you do not have a record of the property that is stolen, your chances of getting it back are minimal, even if the police recover your property!

When unmarked stolen articles are taken into custody, they cannot be traced and returned to you, and may be disposed of through auctions, or even returned to the thief on demand!

Engraved property is more difficult to fence. As a stolen item, its market value is low anyway, but marking the property can reduce its value another 90%!

Well-marked property is easy to trace back to a legitimate owner; unmarked property is not.

For delicate electronic items, where you are concerned that a vibrating engraver will damage circuitry, you may choose to use a diamond or carbide tipped engraver.

Photograph items that cannot be engraved -- antiques, jewelry (next to a ruler, to show size), artwork -- and keep the photos in a safe place with your written records, such as in a safe deposit box. Videotaping your property is another option. Expensive cameras may lose significant resale value if engraved.

If you want to sell your engraved property, draw a single line through the number and suggest that the new owner engrave their number next to it. If the original number is obliterated we can assume the property is stolen, and confiscate it!

If you move out of state, your marking should still be effective. Just make sure the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles has your forwarding address.

Auto Theft/Theft from Vehicles:

Park in Highly Visible Locations: your best security comes from passersby, and/or parking where you can see your car from your office or home window.

Install motion detector lights in your parking area.

Park in locked garages: electric garage door openers usually provide adequate security. However, if you'll be away for awhile, add a padlock as well. Don't forget to put dead bolt lock and 4-hole strike plate on the pedestrian door into the garage too. The door should be made of solid core wood; hinges should be on the inside, and the window should be protected with wrought iron, poly carbonate plastic or plywood.

Leave nothing of value visible inside the car.

Install "The Club": to incapacitate the steering wheel, or use other security devices to disable the vehicle. Some devices cut off gas flow, or make ignition impossible in other ways. If you'll be gone for awhile, you can remove a key part, such as the rotor, so the vehicle cannot be hot-wired and driven away.

Install a Car Alarm: it's true that most people ignore car alarms. Nevertheless, these are a good deterrent. Most offenders will be scared off, and people passing by will at least glance over at your car to see if there's something wrong.

Where to Find Engravers: engravers can be purchased at many home improvement type stores.